Syracuse, NY--The Better Business Bureau serving Upstate New York has seen a rise in the number of complaints it has gotten from consumers who have received cell phone text messages that request personal financial information.

The practice is called SmiShing, also known as Short Message Service phishing attempt.

The scams usually pop up during times of natural disasters, said Peggy Penders, speaking for the Better Business Bureau.

“We’ve been getting quite a few calls over the last few days,” she said.

The text messages appear to come from a bank or financial institution. They say that their account has been compromised and to call a number beginning with 877.

When the consumer makes the call they're pumped for personal financial information.

No bank or financial institution would call asking for that information, the BBB says.

The bureau encourages anyone who receives such a text message to:

• Independently verify the phone number and call your financial institution to report the scam attempt;

• Do not call the number or use any of the embedded web links provided in the message;

• Delete the message.

If you feel your account has been compromised, call or visit your local bank as soon as possible.

Consumers can report suspected scams to the BBB at 800-828-5000 daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.